Green living is both chic and sustainably important these days. In humankind’s effort to make the best in comfort and luxury, we sometimes go overboard. But it’s incredibly easy to live green and still keep to an incredibly high standard of living.
Luxury house designs that want to save a little energy should absolutely consider thee features. Custom home builders will especially have the freedom to smoothly incorporate just about anything you can imagine into your ideal design.
Power
Solar, water, and wind power are the big contenders against the combustible fuels we rely on that belch chemical waste into the air. It’s quite easy to adapt your power to your environment.
Solar panels are most common and require no moving parts — just sit them somewhere clear and let them soak up the day’s light. Even basic homes nowadays can come equipped with solar roofs.
Wind and water power, however, can as a distinctly unique flare to your home. A water wheel at a cozy country home will give a charming rustic look while churning generator turbines. A home with a waterfront, especially moving water like a river, should absolutely consider some sort of water power.
If your luxury house designs are more modern, a sleek wind turbine will make a statement with its tall, slim, smooth structure and clean energy. Be aware that this relies on locations as well; if your area doesn’t get much wind, you won’t get much power from this machine. It could still make for an imposing art piece, though. Nothing screams designer home plans like a huge statement piece.
Green Greens
Ironically, one of the often forgotten aspect of green home building is the design of your actual green. the yard is part of the earth, the very thing we’re trying to save, and there’s much you can do with your landscaping to make your lot both highly attractive and environmentally friendly.
“How can plants not be environmentally friendly?” you might ask. Some of the most dire ecological emergencies have come about thanks to invasive species of plants spreading from private gardens. A vine from Asia, the Kudzu, was used to decorate shady porches at one time. Now it is choking the South int he United States. In your own landscaping, use local flora that won’t unbalance the natural environment.
Your landscaping also creates demand on your water usage, so incorporate that into your custom home plans. If possible, use plants that don’t require much water to thrive, and place those that do need water where they can get plenty of runoff from your downspouts.
Smart Planning
Luxury house designs today should automatically include EnergyStar certified windows, appliances, insulation, and so on, and custom home plans must not cut corners. You can decorate the outer shell of your walls and roof all you like, but make sure the very structure underneath does the job of keeping cold or hot air from escaping in the summer and winter. Keeping that temperature means you’ll use less energy to maintain a comfortable temperature.
Not to mention, you’ll simply be more comfortable. No fighting the thermostat, no discomfort, and less stress on your home’s systems. And in the end, that’s the main thing to remember in green building: less stress on your home means less stress on the environment.
